


Away With the Wind

by marichatisfam



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Completed, Fluff, M/M, travel AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:08:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29523408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marichatisfam/pseuds/marichatisfam
Summary: Sasuke is leaving the village again, to make up for his sins, but a lively blonde idiot decided to go with him.This is an AU where Naruto and Sasuke travel together after the events of Shippuden! They both have gotten the arm replacements in this AU and are gone for about a year or so.Thanks for reading!All ship hate comments will be deleted!All Fluff no sad
Relationships: NaruSasu, NarutoxSasuke - Relationship, SasuNaru, SasukexNaruto, inosaku if you really squint
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

A/N Hello thanks for tuning in! I wrote this ahead of time so I'm going to be posting all the chapters at once aaa

“I must leave to atone for my sins.”  
The dark-haired man spoke bluntly to the smaller pink-haired girl standing in front of him. He trudged off, nothing in his possession. He wished to start anew, which meant leaving anything he could not carry on his person behind.   
The man walked until the village he had grown up in was no longer visible. He was going to go as far away as possible. To escape and cope with the horrible things he had done.   
“Where do you think you’re going?” An all too familiar voice echoed from above.   
“No where that concerns you.”  
There was a flash of orange as a familiar blonde blocked the man’s path.   
“Sasuke, anything you do concerns me,” the blonde crossed his arms, “now tell me where you’re going.”  
“I’m going to travel; an atonement for my sins. You can’t stop me from leaving Naruto.”  
“I’m not stopping you. I’m coming with you.”  
Naruto stared at Sasuke with that determined smile that said nothing was going to stop him.   
“What about becoming hokage, was that not your goal?”  
“Hokage was always my second goal, and I’m not letting my main goal walk out of the village again.”  
Sasuke stared the blonde down, now noticing he had a simple backpack on and had clearly planned on coming with him no matter what. The raven haired man stood in silence for a minute, his rivals breath mixing with the wind that whisked past his ears and through the leaves.   
He sighed and continued to walk, waiting for the blonde to walk in step with him.   
“So, where are we off to then?”  
“Wherever the wind takes us.”

The pink haired girl rushed around the village. Unable to locate her blonde teammate, he was not in any of his usual spots, causing the girl to worry a bit.  
“Hey, Kiba! Shikamaru! Have you guys seen Naruto?”   
“No, actually we were just looking for him when Hokage-sama asked us to go to his office,” the dark haired man said with a sigh.   
“Yeah he did say it was about Naruto so he could be there maybe!”   
“Mind if I tag along then?”   
The three walked to the Hokage’s office, running into a few of their comrades outside.   
“He call you guys here too?” A man with a dark bowl cut asked the approaching trio.   
“Yeah, you guys too?”   
The pink haired girl was starting to get nervous. It appeared all of Naruto’s closest friends were here, which was not a good sign. Maybe it has to do with Sasuke leaving?  
The group stepped into the Hokage’s office, and were greeted by the silver haired man. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.   
“What’s this all about Lord Sixth, and where’s Naruto?” The pink haired girl fretted.   
“He’s safe and sound Sakura, but he is…” the man hesitated, thinking out his words, “not here.”  
“We know th-” Sakura was cut off.   
“He left with Sasuke, we are not sure when they will return,” he deadpanned.   
“He what,” Sakura’s voice was laced with poison. She clenched her fist and those next to her stepped away in fear of being punched.   
“He wouldn’t go into detail but he said it was important that he went with him. Those two have some things to work out, this could be good for them,” Kakashi tried to calm the angry girl.   
“Wait, wait, catch me up here, Sasuke left, again?” The brown haired boy asked with a puzzled expression on his face.   
This time Sakura cut off Kakashi, “He left to travel and make up for his sins, he said he can’t live with himself unless he does this.”  
“But what about Naruto’s dream of being Hokage? He can’t do that if he’s not here.” Hinata said softly.  
Sakura sighed and turned away “Hokage has always been his second goal.”  
“So, what’s the first?” Shikamaru asked.   
“Sasuke.”


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Yo yo yo what's up gamers we back again ha haaa

The pair had been walking for a few hours now, the conversations between them were sparse and far between. Sasuke isn’t much of a talker and Naruto would rather not annoy his new travelmate to death on the first day.   
“Did you bring anything to eat?” Sasuke broke the silence.  
Naruto felt his stomach drop, I forgot food.   
“I’ll take that as a no.”  
“Heh, I kinda packed in a rush because I wanted to catch up to you before you were too far away, yaknow,” he chuckled.   
“There’s a small village nearby, we can stop there.”   
“I hope they have ramen,” Naruto said hopefully.   
The pair walked through the small village. Eyeing the small stands set up in the street, looking for somewhere to eat. The village was small and quaint, the buildings looking rather old and worn.   
Sasuke stopped suddenly at a booth that was selling weapons and ninja tools, a sword sheath catching his eye.   
He grabbed the sword and unsheathed it, gazing at the blade. It was a light blue iridescent metal, good weight, and katana sized. There were three moons carved onto the blade, a full moon, a half moon, and a crescent moon.   
“How much for the blade?”  
The old man running the booth looked Sasuke up and down and then down at the sword, “2000 yen.”  
Sasuke fumbled with his leg pouch, crossing his fingers he had enough for the blade.   
“Here you go!”  
Sasuke turned to see Naruto holding out the money to the merchant. His frog wallet in his other hand.   
He grabbed the sword and dragged Sasuke away, waving a thanks.   
“Let me pay you back.”  
“No. It’s on me.”  
“Just let me pay yo-”   
“You can buy us dinner.”  
Sasuke closed his mouth and let Naruto drag him to wherever they were heading. Naruto had somehow managed to find a small ramen place. Typical, Sasuke rolled his eyes.   
“Can I have a miso pork ramen?” Naruto settled at the counter. The place was small but it smelled fantastic there and Sasuke was nearly drooling as much as Naruto.   
“I’ll have the same thanks.”   
The woman running the counter smiled and turned to make their ramen.   
“Where do we plan on staying tonight?”  
“I was just going to sleep in the woods or something.”  
“Oh good idea, cheaper too.”   
“Here’s your ramen!”   
She set two steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. It looked absolutely delicious and Naruto felt his stomach growl even louder than before.   
“Thank you!”   
Naruto tucked right in and slurped his noodles down hungrily. Sasuke did the same, just with a little less enthusiasm. He had never eaten with Naruto now that he thought about it. There was a lot he hadn’t done with Naruto. He felt a wave of guilt over how terrible of a friend he had been for the past, well, forever.   
“I’m sorry Naruto.”  
The blonde looked up from his noodles with a puzzled expression, “Eh? What for?”  
“For being such a terrible friend all these years,” Sasuke choked back tears.   
“It’s okay. I wasn’t really the best either, say, how about we start over?”  
“Huh?”  
“Well this journey is for a fresh start right? Let’s start new. No fights, no war, just us.”  
Sasuke let his hair cover his face as he smiled softly, “I’d like that.”  
“We have a lot of lost time to catch up on, huh,” Naruto chuckled as he finished his ramen.   
They chatted lazily as Sasuke finished up his meal. Sasuke paid the woman at the counter and the pair were off once again. By this point the sun was nearly set and Naruto steps had begun to lose their enthusiasm. Sasuke felt his eyelids droop a little, the day of walking had tired him out.   
“Let’s camp here,” Sasuke pointed to the soft grass under a tree.   
Naruto tossed his bag and yawned, flopping down without a word. Sasuke settled a few feet away and rested his head on his arm. He had spent a lot of time sleeping on the ground when he had left the village the first time. He listened to the gentle breeze as he dozed off.   
Sasuke awoke hours later, shivering and tucked into a small ball. The temperature had dropped greatly and he was freezing. His teeth chattered slightly as he considered lighting something on fire with his jutsu.   
No that would draw attention, but I’m so cold what do I do?  
Sasuke turned to look at his comrade and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. He seemed unphased by the cold.   
Lucky bastard. How is he not freezing?   
Sasuke jumped a little when Naruto suddenly spoke, “Mm, Sasuke why are you awake? Are we under attack?”   
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.”  
Naruto sat up and turned to him, clearly reading that something was wrong. He looked Sasuke up and down and saw that he was tucked into himself, shivering, and trying to keep any body heat he was producing near him.   
“Are you cold, Sasuke?” Naruto rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes.   
“Yes, I’m fucking freezing.”   
“That’s all? Oh wow thought you were dyin’ or something,” he mumbled as a wave of tiredness washed over him. Sasuke opened his mouth to scold Naruto when he was suddenly pulled back down to the forest floor. Two warm arms pulling him into an even warmer body.   
“What’re you doin-”  
“Shut up teme, it's just more awkward if you mention it.”   
Sasuke shut his mouth again, unable to complain seeing as Naruto was incredibly warm. He adjusted slightly and tucked his head under Naruto’s chin, sleep taking him away once again.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N hey nerds enjoy your fluffy chapter 

Neither are sure on how or why it became a habit but the pair found themselves entangled every night, soft breaths mixing together in the chilly air. In the weeks they had been traveling together they had grown close, often exchanging jokes and soft words. The man Sasuke had seen as a rival not even a year before he now considered his closest friend.  
The pair had traveled far and wide, stopping in many places along the way, rarely encountering anyone more than strangers.  
Now they were heading for the hot lands of Suna. A nice change from the dropping temperatures in Tanakagure. Naruto wished to speak to Gaara and enjoy some of the things Suna has to offer.  
“We must be getting close right?” Naruto asked, sweat dripping from his bangs. He has his jacket tied around his waist as he trudged through the sand.  
“It’s just over this dune we’ll be there soon, do you need any water?”  
“Yeah that’d be great,” Naruto sighed as he took the bottle from Sasuke. Suna came into sight as they neared the top of the sand dune.  
Suddenly a huge gust of wind blasted the two, nearly sending them flying.  
“What was that?” Naruto spun around wildly.  
“Stop! State your name and purpose!”  
A Suna shinobi now stood in front of the two, glaring.  
“Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha from the village hidden in the leaves. Here to visit the Kazekage.”  
“I will take them to him,” a familiar voice called from a distance. A woman with her hair parted into four ponytails beckoned the two to follow her.  
Naruto stepped into stride with her, “Heya Temari! Thanks for bringing us, saves a lot of trouble explaining.”  
“Gaara will be pleased to see you, Naruto. What brings you out here?”  
“Ah, we’re just traveling and Suna seemed like a good change of pace!”  
“Just the two of you? Is it some kind of mission?”  
“Nope. We just needed some time, after the war and all.”  
She tilted her head side to side then shrugged. She gestured to the doorway in front of them and waved as she headed off.  
“Gaara!”  
“Ah, Naruto what brings you here?”  
The Kazekage stood to embrace his old friend.  
“We’re in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by! And perhaps get some ideas on fun places to go in Suna yaknow,” Naruto grinned.  
Gaara eyed Sasuke then looked back at Naruto, “I see, well I would suggest the dune sledding it’s rather enjoyable, and the cuisine is good, maybe too spicy for you forest dwellers though.”  
“Thanks Gaara! It was great seeing you! We’ll let you know when we return to Konoha so you could come visit!”  
The blonde and the Kazekage embraced once more before Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the dune Gaara had talked about.  
At the top of this dune there was a little stand selling what looked like large round metal pans. Naruto paid the small fee and returned to Sasuke, brandishing the sleds.  
“I bet I can make it farther!”  
“Ha nice try, dobe, no way you’re beating me.”  
Sasuke took off and leaped onto the sled he had thrown and began speeding down the dune. Naruto followed, only seconds behind.  
“Looks like I have this one in the bag, Naruto!”  
Naruto furrowed his brows for only a second before he decided to leap toward Sasuke’s sled.  
“Ha loo- what the hell idiot?” Sasuke felt Naruto grab onto him as he steadied himself. They were now both in the same sled.  
“What was the point in that? Now we’re gonna just tie gonna go to the same place,” Sasuke tried to push him off.  
“The point was this,” Naruto grabbed Sasuke and threw him off the sled, except there was a hand clutching his shirt collar.  
Uh oh, was all he could think before both he and Sasuke were thrown off the sled. They both tumbled down a little more, as puffs of sand billowed around them. They finally came to a stop and both glared at each other for a minute before bursting out laughing.  
They could barely speak over their giggles, tears forming in the corners of their eyes as they struggled for air.  
“G-get off me d-dobe” Sasuke struggled to choke out between laughs. It was only now Naruto realized he was on top of Sasuke, pinning him to the ground.  
“No.”  
“What? Get off me idi-”  
Sasuke was cut off by a hand pinching his side. He closed his mouth to try and suppress his laugh. It was ineffective as Naruto continued to tickle him.  
“S-Stop it dum-mmy,” he could barely get the words out as he laughed until his stomach hurt. Sasuke reached up and tickled at Naruto's sides, causing his boisterous laugh to echo in the dune.  
The two wrestled in the dune trying to stop the other from tickling themself. Their laughs echoing around.  
“Grrahh!!” Naruto tackled Sasuke back to the ground and dug his knuckles into his scalp, messing his hair up.  
Sasuke struggled in his grip and sent a small chidori into Naruto’s hair, causing it to stick up even more than it already did.  
The two laughed like children as they continued to chase each other around the dune. Now throwing sand at one another. 

“See, I told you they’re different now,” Temari remarked to her brother as they watched the pair from a distance.  
“I did sense something different about Sasuke, he may be nice now but I still do not trust him.”  
“Oh come on Gaara as long as Naruto is loyal to Konoha, so is Sasuke.”  
“We don’t know that, he ran off before,” Gaara fretted.  
“Gaara, look at them. Sasuke is loyal to Naruto, he won’t hurt him again.”  
“Hm. Fine, but if he hurts him again I am going to sand coffin him.” 

“Alright, Naruto, stop I’m gonna pass out,” Sasuke said, out of breath from laughing. Naruto grinned and stood up, offering his hand to Sasuke.  
Sasuke took it and got to his feet, smiling softly. They walked back to the top of the dune and returned the sleds, now exhausted from their play-fight.  
They walked through the center of Suna, admiring the stands as they walked. Picking up trinkets here and there as little memories.  
Naruto stopped in front of one stand and excitedly pointed to something, “Look, Sasuke it’s just like the scroll in Toad Sage Mode but it’s a backpack!”  
“It’s nice, you should get it, your backpack is starting to get a little full as is.”  
Naruto quickly conversed with the seller and exchanged some money. They continued walking as Naruto excitedly looked at his bag.  
“Sasuke can we stop for a sec so I can transfer my stuff?”  
“Hn.”  
Naruto walked toward a nearby picnic bench, taking the hn as one that meant yes. He dumped out his backpack and something caught Sasuke’s eye.  
He reached out and picked up the folded picture. It was the Team 7 picture from way back when.  
“You still have this?”  
“Huh? Oh yeah! Brings back good memories,” he suddenly froze, “oh man.”  
“What? What’s wrong?”  
“Sakura is going to kill us when we get back.”  
Sasuke sweat a bit, the pink haired shinobi could be rather scary. He had been blunt with her as he left, and Naruto hadn’t even told her he was leaving.  
“Oh man we’re so dead.”  
Naruto chuckled and packed the rest of his stuff into his new bag. He slung it over his shoulder and walked back over to the stands.  
Sasuke suddenly grabbed Naruto and pulled him toward a stand, “Let’s get our ears pierced.”  
“Let’s what? I don-”  
“What? Scared?”  
“Fine, let’s get our ears pierced.”  
Sasuke grinned as he paid the stand attendant and flopped down in a chair. The man said nothing as he pierced Sasuke’s ear. Naruto let out a little yelp but was surprised at how quick it was. They both only got one ear done, and Sasuke gestured to a set of earrings. One for each, a sun and a moon.  
“Quit fiddling with it, Naruto, it's gonna get infected.”  
“Ah sorry I’m just getting used to it,” he chuckled, snatching his hand away from his ear. They had stopped for a quick dinner and were about to head off again when a voice stopped them.  
“Naruto, Sasuke, we have hotel rooms reserved for you if you would like to stay there for the night,” Gaara said in his usual deadpan tone.  
“Really? Ah man thank you Gaara! I haven’t slept in a bed in forever!”  
Gaara simply nodded and led them to a small hotel on the edge of Suna’s center. Gaara and Naruto exchanged a quick goodbye after receiving the keys to their room. They swung open the door and were greeted by a nice little room. There were two beds, a little nightstand between them, and a small kitchen area.  
Naruto threw his stuff aside and jumped excitedly onto the bed. He let out a big sigh and closed his eyes.  
Sasuke placed his sword and bags down, stretching before he laid down on the bed opposite Naruto’s.  
He was so tired, but sleep refused to come over him. Sasuke laid there, staring at the ceiling, begging for sleep to take him away. He sighed and rolled to face the wall.  
“Can’t sleep?”  
Sasuke rolled to look at Naruto, “Hn.”  
“I can’t either, I’m coming over there.”  
Sasuke heard shuffling then felt the mattress sink as Naruto’s weight moved next to his. He rolled to face him, like they had done for so many nights now.  
“Heh, guess we’re a little reliant on each other now,” Naruto laughed softly as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke.  
“Yeah.”  
They slept without issue for the remainder of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N i forgot about Aoki she does not appear after this but she is fine and a very cool shinobi or whatever

“It’s been two months now, do you think they’re ever going to come back, Ino?”  
Sakura was slumped on the table as Ino stroked her hair softly, consoling the worried girl.   
“Sakura I’m sure they’re fine, it’s Naruto and Sasuke.”  
“That’s what I’m worried about. I mean, what if they almost kill each other again? What if they fight? What if-”  
“They wouldn’t have left together if they hated each other.”   
Sakura peered up at Ino then smiled a bit.   
“I guess I’m just mad they didn’t tell me.”   
“They’ll be back, their hearts lie in Konoha.”  
“I’m not so sure about that.” 

Who knew spending months with the same person would make you so codependent?   
Naruto and Sasuke were now stopped by a river, in a land even they didn’t know of. Sasuke was throwing pebbles in the river as Naruto splashed around in the river.   
“Man, my hair’s getting long, huh?”  
Sasuke watched as Naruto fiddled with his hair, his bangs now down in his face.  
“Come here then.”  
Naruto settled down in front of Sasuke as he dug through his bag.   
Sasuke brandished a kunei and gently lopped at his hair. Blonde pieces falling gently around them.   
“I like your hair long, I'm not gonna take off too much okay?”   
“I trust you.”   
Naruto ran his hands through his now shorter hair and grinned in approval. Sasuke sighed and laid down in the grass on the bank of the river. Naruto laid down next to him, their heads resting together.   
“We’ve been gone a month now.”  
“Hm.”  
“Hardly feels like it, when do you think we should return?”  
“How about next year?”  
“I’d like that.”

As more months passed Naruto and Sasuke’s bond only grew. They now walk, fingers lazily intertwined. Being this close to each other just felt natural to them, there was only the wind and them.   
“We should try to find a village to restock at some point.”  
“Yeah, I’m running pretty low on food, plus I want to know what villages this far out even look like.”   
They walked for hours longer until a village was in sight. Naruto took a step forward but Sasuke suddenly stopped him.   
“Tripwire.”   
Sasuke was suddenly knocked off his feet by someone kicking him in the head. He rolled and quickly unsheathed his sword. Naruto quickly produced his shadow clones, and charged at his attacker.   
“Who are you?”  
The figure said nothing and only stared at Naruto.   
Sasuke grabbed the figure and put his sword to their neck, “He said who are you?”   
“I-I’m just a guard for this village, please don’t kill me.”  
Sasuke dropped the figure, still wary of him though. There was a cloud of mist as Naruto released his clones.   
“I’m supposed to attack anyone who tries to enter, but, erm, we don’t usually get ninja around here,” the man gulped.   
“We’re friendly! Just looking for somewhere to eat!”   
“A-ah, I can take you i-in, what are your names,” he stuttered, still shaken.   
“Naruto Uzumaki and my friend with the sword is Sasuke Uchiha!”   
“I-I’m Yakashi, follow me,” he got to his feet and beckoned them to follow. They walked the little bit of forest until they reached the village. It was the smallest one they had encountered so far. People stared and mothers grabbed their children as the pair was led through town.   
“You must not get new people often,” Naruto remarked. The aura of the villagers was not threatening, just frightened.   
“You’re the first ones in a really long time,” Yakashi continued to lead them through the village.   
“Are you guys shinobi?” A voice suddenly piped up.   
“Aoki, shut it,” Yakashi scolded the source of the voice. A young girl broke from the crowd and rushed over.   
“Are you really shinobi? I heard only shinobi have powers like yours,” she gazed up at them, eyes wide.   
“We’re shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, my name is Naruto, this is Sasuke, who are you?”   
“I’m Aoki! I’ve always wanted to be a shinobi, but there’s no one to teach me.”  
Naruto felt his stomach churn a little, he saw himself in this girl. Her clothes were scruffy, and she looked dirty. An orphan?   
“Aoki stop bothering them,” he turned to Naruto and Sasuke, “The restaurant is right over there.”   
He pointed to a small little restaurant and Naruto could smell food wafting from it.   
“Aoki do you want some dinner?”   
Naruto remembered how Iruka’s gestures had helped him and wanted to do the same. The girl nodded and followed them into the restaurant.   
They settled at the table, Naruto and Sasuke on one side and Aoki on the other.   
“Aoki, are you really serious about becoming a shinobi?”   
“Yes! I heard tales that my father was a shinobi and I want to be just like him! He was from the hidden leaf, just like you guys!”   
Naruto smiled softly at the young girl then turned to Sasuke. He made eye contact for a minute then Sasuke nodded approval.  
“We’ll train you,” Naruto said.   
“Really? Thank you, thank you!”   
“Can you tell us about your father?” Sasuke spoke up for the first time since they had gotten here.   
“They said his name was Hiomura Mitosado, a shinobi from the hidden leaf who moved out here for a peaceful life.”   
“Do you have any ninjutsu specialties you know of?   
“Yeah I do! Hold on,” the girl focused at the table for a minute as the wood began to ripple and move slightly.  
“Huh, a wood type,” Naruto stared at the spot where the table had just been moving.   
“We can help you with fighting, but how would you feel about going to the hidden leaf to learn from a master?”   
“I can go? They’ll let me in?”   
“Yamato will take you in, we’ll send you with a scroll explaining we sent you.”   
“You’re not taking me there?”   
“No, our journey is not complete, I will send one of my clones to lead you there.”   
A waitress set down their food on the table and they thanked her and began to eat.   
“When you go to punch, don’t let your fist go sideways like that, it’ll break your knuckles,” Naruto directed the girl’s fist into the correct position.   
“Here let me show you,” Naruto looked to Sasuke who took a sparring stance.   
Naruto punched quickly at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked his punches with ease and Aoki watched in awe.   
“Make sense?”   
“Yeah, I get it! Like this!”   
She punched the wooden post nearest her and turned to look excitedly at Naruto.   
“Yes! Perfect!”   
They continued to help her with basic fighting skills until the sun began to set. Naruto gathered a bag of supplies and produced a shadow clone.   
“He’ll take you there, give them this note and say Naruto and Sasuke sent you okay?”   
She nodded brightly and the clone led her away. Naruto felt Sasuke’s fingers brush his own and he grabbed his hand.   
“Looks like we’re moving on, I hope Yamato trains her.”  
“I’m sure he will, he’s always had a soft spot for you,” Sasuke reassured him as they walked in the opposite direction Aoki had left in, hands intertwined with a comfortable silence between them. 

Sakura was out for a stroll in the woods, she did this everyday, hoping one time Naruto and Sasuke would be out there sparring. She sighed when no sound of fighting or yelling was heard.   
“E-excuse me?”   
Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin and whirled around to find the source of the voice.   
A young girl stood in front of her, “Are you a shinobi of the hidden leaf?”   
Sakura kneeled down to be level with the girl, checking her for enemy chakra, “Yes, I am, what are you doing out here all alone?”   
“Naruto and Sasuke sent me.”   
Sakura felt her heart beat faster, “T-they did?”   
“They sent me here to train with a man named Yamato, and to give this letter to their friends,” she held out a scroll.   
Sakura grabbed the note from the girl and took her hand, leading her to the village.  
“Do you know Naruto and Sasuke?”   
Sakura sighed and smiled at the girl, “We were teammates and really close friends, but then there was war, and now they’re out traveling the world.”   
“I bet Naruto and Sasuke were such a good team on the battlefield! They’re a great team!”   
Sakura chuckled, they must be getting along then, “They actually blasted each other's arms off only a year back. “  
The girl looked at her in horror, “Wow, the Naruto and Sasuke I met were really close, sometimes they would talk without even saying words!”   
Sakura chuckled, her heart warm hearing her friends were safe.   
“Yo, Sakura, who’s this?”  
Kiba knelt down and peered at the girl.   
“I”m Aoki! Naruto and Sasuke sent me here to train with someone named Yamato!”   
“Go gather everyone Kiba, they sent a note,” Sakura held out the scroll. Kiba nodded and ran off with Akamaru.   
“We’re going to meet the Hokage and get Yamato for you, okay?”   
“Cool! This place is huge,” she looked around.   
Sakura and Aoki walked to the Hokage’s office and Sakura explained the situation. Kakashi nodded and sent a scroll for Yamato.   
When they left the Hokage’s office everyone was waiting outside, wondering what this note could say.   
“Wow Naruto and Sasuke have a lot of friends,” Aoki remarked. Sakura opened the scroll and read it aloud.   
“Hey guys! Hope this note found you! Make sure Aoki is okay for us! We’re doing great and have been all over the place! Sasuke is a lot less grumpy now (I think he’s been spending too much time with me ha ha!) and we haven’t even fought once! I really miss you guys, we plan on coming back in a year, see u then. With love, Naruto,” Sakura choked on the last few words.   
She could not manage to get the small note scrawled at the bottom out and Ino grabbed the note, “P.S. Sakura I am sorry for not telling you I was leaving, but I know you're strong and will probably be even stronger by the time we get back!”  
Sakura sobbed into her hands as Ino comforted her.   
“You guys were really close, huh,” Aoki patted Sakura gently. Sakura nodded and wiped her face.   
“Aoki, tell us, how were they? Did they get along? Is Naruto okay? Is Sasuke being mean to him?” Hinata fretted.   
“They’re great! Naruto is a really good teacher! They seemed to get along great, they seem to speak without talking a lot, and also they walk really close together, oh! and they both tell terrible jokes!”   
“They both tell terrible jokes?” Shikamaru sounded suspicious.   
“Mostly Naruto, but they both laughed at them!”   
Shikamaru’s suspicions were confirmed, their bond has grown strong-  
His thought was cut off by Choji laughing, “I guess Naruto’s stupidity must be rubbing off on him!”   
The group let out a laugh, relieved their friends were safe.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N buff sakura is my religion

Sasuke and Naruto had been gone nearly a year now, they were now on the return journey home. They had made it around the entirety of the villages and were now ready to return home.   
“Ah man I have missed Ichiraku’s so much!”   
Sasuke chuckled and rolled his eyes.   
“You know what I’m not looking forward to?”   
“Sakura beating the shit out of us?”  
Naruto laughed nervously and stopped walking for a minute.   
“I gotta rest for a minute, I need some water and I have a rock in my shoe.”   
Sasuke sat down next to Naruto as he fussed with his shoe. Sasuke leaned against the blonde and sighed.   
“We’re not gonna be able to be like this in the village you know,” Sasuke leaned his head on Naruto’s.   
“Whaddya mean?”   
“Close. Like this. It’s normal out here, but I don’t think most friends interact like this.”   
“Huh. Yeah, I guess that’s true, we can still hang out though, plus missions and sparring, should be fine,” Naruto turned and grinned.   
Sasuke rested his forehead on Naruto's, enjoying the sound of his soft breaths. He felt Naruto place a small kiss on his nose and they stood up to walk once again.   
Sasuke didn’t ever really have friends so he wasn’t sure if the amount of affection they showed each other was technically normal, but in all honesty, he did not care.   
The idea of not being with Sasuke all the time was something Naruto hadn’t known for a whole year, returning to the village is definitely going to be...different.   
“This is starting to look familiar isn’t it?”   
“Hn.”   
They walked through the forest that was growing more and more familiar as they walked. Sasuke suddenly grabbed Naruto and pulled him behind a tree.   
“There’s fighting up ahead,” he whispered.   
Naruto simply nodded, understanding what Sasuke wanted him to do, and he jumped into the tree line. He followed the sounds of fighting until he reached it.   
Three enemy ninja we’re fighting with a familiar face. Shikamaru!   
A fourth enemy ninja suddenly leaped out to grab for Shikamaru, Naruto leapt into action. He grabbed the ninja before they could reach Shikamaru.   
“I told you I didn’t need backu-” he turned to look at who had stopped his attacker, “well, I’ll be damned.”  
Sasuke had quickly taken care of the other three while Naruto had stopped the fourth.   
“Long time no see, ay,” Naruto smirked. Shikamaru stared in bewilderment before embracing his childhood friend.   
“Come one everyone is gonna want to see you so bad,” Shikamaru beckoned, moving faster than Naruto had ever seen him do before.   
Naruto and Sasuke walked through the familiar village, people gazing at him and Sasuke, some rushing off to tell others they had returned.   
Kiba rushed forward and tackled Naruto down, “You son of a bitch look at you!”  
Kiba ruffled his hair and pulled him into another bear hug, or should I say big dog hug…  
“Naruto!” Naruto was hugged forcefully by a friendly face.   
“Iruka-sensei!”   
“Don’t ever leave again you stupid little twerp,” Iruka wiped his face, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.   
A crowd of his friends had gathered around as they greeted him and scolded him for leaving. 

Ino burst into Sakura’s house, “Sakura they’re back!”   
“What?”  
Sakura was puzzled for only a moment before she realized what her friend meant, she stood quickly and rushed out the door.   
She raced down to where the crowd around them was, her heart beating out of her chest.   
“Sasuke? Naruto?”   
The crowd parted and two faces she had longed to see waited for her, older now. Naruto was now much taller than he had been before, even taller than Sasuke. His hair was shaggy and messy, his face sharper and covered in more freckles than he had when he left. Sasuke was taller too, his black hair shaggy and sticking up like it had when they were chunins, his eyes less tired, less full of hatred, and he was smiling.   
“You idiots!” She threw a punch and hit both of them off their feet.   
Naruto clutched his face, “Yeah, we deserved that.”   
Sakura kneeled down and pulled them both into a hug. Her boys were home at last.   
“We’re sorry Sakura,” Sasuke mumbled.   
“I’ll forgive you both over dinner.”   
“To Ichiraku’s!” Choji cheered and scooped up Naruto and Sasuke. The group cheered and laughed as they walked to the ramen place.   
“Naruto!” Ichiraku greeted and patted the boy’s head. The group settled outside after getting their food. Naruto and Sasuke sitting next to each other.   
“So? Tell us about your travels! How far did you go? Did you meet any cool people?”   
“We went around the map,” Sasuke answered in between bites of his ramen.   
“Through all the villages?”   
Sasuke nodded.   
They boys recalled all their exciting adventures and even Sasuke had gotten animated about their time in the village in the mist.   
“He totally was trying to poison us, I'm telling you!” Sasuke argued with Naruto.   
“It was an old man!”   
“With poison!”   
The group chuckled at their childish argument. Sakura barely recognized this Sasuke, he was happy, and so kind.   
“Tch, whatever.”   
“Tch, whatever,” Naruto mocked.   
“Don’t mock me, idiot!”  
“Don’t mock me, idiot” Naruto stood and put his hand on his waist, mocking Sasuke’s usual stance.   
“Get over here, dobe,” Sasuke stood and chased Naruto.   
Naruto laughed as he ran away, weaving and dodging as Sasuke tried to grab him.   
Those dummies, Sakura thought with a smile. The group was now watching a laughing Sasuke trying to grab a gleeful Naruto.   
“Oop! Missed again ha ha!”   
Sasuke took this as his chance to grab him.   
He wrestled him to the ground, “Oop! Missed again I guess!”   
They rolled in the grass trying to escape from one another, their laughs echoing around. Naruto quickly scrambled up and threw Sasuke over his shoulder. Walking back to where the group was.   
“I win,” he grinned as he put Sasuke down. Sasuke rolled his eyes and settled down in front of his food again.   
Sakura reached over to grab one of the mochi from in front of Ino and stopped when Naruto gasped.   
“Holy shit Sakura! Your biceps are huge!”   
She looked down at her arm then laughed, “Training will do that to you.”  
“Stand up for a sec,” Naruto said as he also stood up.   
Sakura obliged and stood.   
“Alright catch me!”   
“Wait Naruto wh-”   
He leapt at her and she caught him with relative ease.   
“Me too!”   
Sasuke also jumped at her and she caught him with her free arm. The three of them laughed, happy to finally be back together again.   
“Can’t believe my pupils wouldn’t inform me that they are, indeed, home,” Kakashi remarked.   
“Kakashi!” Sakura set down Naruto and he rushed to give his sensei a hug.   
“Alright, alright, don’t slobber all over me,” Kakashi chuckled patting Naruto on the back.   
“Come here, both of you,” Kakashi gestured to Sakura and Sasuke. The team embraced in a group hug.   
The group walked through the village, heading back to their respective households, and by the time they reached Naruto’s house it was only him and Sasuke.   
“Guess this is where we go our separate ways huh?”   
Sasuke nodded and gave Naruto a hug.   
“I liked traveling with you,” he said softly into Naruto’s shoulder.   
“Me too,” Naruto placed a soft kiss on the top of Sasuke’s head and they separated.   
Naruto walked into his apartment, it was still the same as he had left it, just a bit more dusty. It felt cold and empty. He sighed and laid down on his bed, not bothering to unpack his stuff.   
Sasuke walked into his quiet home, wishing Naruto was still by his side. He laid down, but sleep refused to wash over him. He tossed and turned, begging sleep to take him away. He gave up and rose from his bed.   
Sasuke trudged in his sleepwear and slippers to Naruto’s house. He had barely reached up to knock on the door when it swung open.   
“Oh thank god,” Naruto sighed and pulled him into his house.  
“I can’t sleep at all, I figure you’re the same?”   
“Yes, now shut up and let’s go to bed,” Sasuke grumbled as he let Naruto lead him to his room. They took up their usual position, Sasuke tucked into Naruto’s chest and Naruto holding onto him dearly.   
Shikamaru stood at the end of the road, watching a tired looking Sasuke trudge into Naruto’s house. He had gone to drop off some leftover ramen Ichiraku had sent for Naruto, but instead came across something rather unusual.   
Hm, could just be they’re not used to be apart, he thought as he walked away, ramen still in hand. He decided he was going to keep a close eye on the two of them.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N they're dummies they share the braincell and it is full of childhood trauma and emotional problems 

Sasuke sat up groggily and reached over to wake Naruto, blindly reaching for his head.   
“It’s too early, go back to sleep,” Naruto whined.   
“We might have missions this morning get up lazy-ass,” Sasuke hit him with his pillow.   
Naruto grumbled and got up to get dressed as Sasuke walked back to his house to find his clothes.   
Sasuke waited outside of Naruto’s house for him and they walked off to get a mission from the Hokage. Fingers brushing as they walked.   
Sakura was waiting outside the Hokage’s office with Ino by her side.   
“Mornin’ Sakura, got any missions?”   
“Yeah I have to help Ino fix up her parent’s flower shop today, Lord Sixth said you could tag along if you’d like.”   
“Yeah, that’d be great!”   
She smiled and they headed for Yamanaka’s Flowers. Sasuke was trying to avoid the urge to hold Naruto’s hand as he usually would, not wanting people to ask questions.   
Ino’s parents flower shop had some water damage from a faulty pipe and needed a deep clean so the four of them quickly got to work.   
Sasuke turned to face Naruto suddenly and stared at him for a second. Naruto barely looked up before handing him the brush next to him. Sasuke took it and continued cleaning.   
Sakura watched in awe, not a single word had been spoken but Naruto had known exactly what Sasuke had wanted. Sakura wasn’t sure what this journey had done to them but this was unusual. Almost further than a regular bond.   
She was happy for them, but she wanted to know the extent of that bond. Sakura knew exactly who could help her figure it out.   
Ino’s parent’s flower shop was now fully repaired and sparkly clean and the four were free for the day. It was a lazy day in the village, nothing much to do, so many were hanging out with friends or just loitering about.   
“Shikamaru,” Sakura tapped the man who was laying on a roof.   
“What?”  
“Sasuke and Naruto have been acting weird right? Like weirder than before.”  
“You noticed it too?”   
“Yeah, how did you figure out?”  
“I saw Sasuke sneaking into Naruto’s apartment last night.”   
Sakura thought for a second, then spoke, “Do you think they might be...together?”  
“If they are I’m surprised Naruto hasn’t let it slip yet.”   
“Hm, thank you Shikamaru, tell me if you notice anything else,” she leapt off the building toward the forest. She had promised Ino she would spar with her.   
She stopped suddenly when she saw two familiar figures walking into the woods.   
Naruto and Sasuke? Where are they going? She squinted and saw that their fingers were intertwined as they walked. She quickly ran to where Ino was waiting and explained for her to follow. They quietly snuck to wear Naruto and Sasuke were, watching as the pair lazily sparred. Chatting calmly as they threw punches here and there.   
They paused and stared at each other for a moment and then chuckled, like a joke had been communicated silently.   
Naruto stared at Sasuke, he always stared at Sasuke, his soft pale skin, messy hair that smells like flowers, and his dark onyx eyes. He closed the gap between them a bit and rested his forehead on Sasuke’s, draping his hands over his waist.   
“Your breath smells like ramen,” Sasuke complained, not breaking eye contact.   
“When does it not?”   
“Fair point,” Sasuke chuckled and put his arms around Naruto’s shoulders.   
“You're pretty, you know,” Naruto brushed Sasuke’s hair out of his face with his thumb.   
Sasuke’s face warmed up a bit, Naruto always complimented him like this but it still made his heart skip a beat.   
“You’re one to talk.”   
“Awww, you think I’m pretty,” Naruto teased him, spinning them around.   
“Gah, shut up dobe,” Sasuke rolled his eyes.   
Naruto himself isn’t sure what compelled him to do it but he placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke’s lips. Sure they kissed here and there, but never on the lips, not like this.   
Sasuke returned the kiss, his face heating up as he did so. His heart beating faster than it ever had before.   
They ended the kiss and stared at each other, wide eyed, and unsure what had just happened. Sasuke wanted to make sure it was real and lunged for him again, lips crashing together.   
Sasuke pulled away, gasping for air, “We should do this more.”   
Naruto could barely process the words Sasuke was saying, the feeling of Sasuke’s cold lips on his own blocking all his thoughts.   
“Y-yeah,” he looked dazedly down at Sasuke.   
“Are you broken?”  
“Yeah,” he grinned goofily.   
“I knew it,” Sakura whispered to Ino.   
“You knew it? Sasuke and Naruto just kissed and you’re not surprised?”   
Sakura shook her head, “You’ll understand sometime, I have to go tell Shikamaru he’s gonna want to hear about this.”   
Ino watched her friend leave, still puzzled about the whole situation.   
“Shikamaru! Shikamaru!”   
Sakura rushed into his house, wildy looking for him.   
“Eh?”  
Shikamaru walked lazily from his room and gave the pink haired girl a strange look.   
“They kissed.”  
“They what?”  
Sakura frantically explained what she had seen in the woods and Shikamaru stared at her in bewilderment.   
“I would not expect you to be so into drama, Shikamaru.”   
Temari leaned in the doorway with her arms crossed.   
Sakura eyed Temari, then Shikamaru, then Temari again before smirking.   
“Soo, Temari what, or who, brings you into town today?” Sakura raised her eyebrows suggestively.   
“Sakura, focus, they kissed? You’re sure?”   
“Uh yeah I’m sure, Ino saw too!”  
“Who kissed?”  
“Naruto and Sasuke,” Sakura and Shikamaru said at the same time.   
“Are they not dating?”  
“What no not that we know o-,” Sakura whirled to Temari, “You know something don’t you.”   
“Yeah, they were in Suna a while ago, I kinda assumed they were dating, considering they had a tickle fight on a sand dune.”   
“The plot just thickens doesn’t it,” Shikamaru brought his hand up to his chin as he thought.   
Sakura rushed out again, but before leaving hollered, “Don’t think this Naruto and Sasuke thing is going to distract me from the fact that Temari is in your house!”  
She rushed past a confused Choji and Kiba.   
“Shikamaru has a girl in there?”   
Kiba and Choji peered in and were suddenly blasted away by a gust of wind.   
Naruto and Sasuke returned from the woods, untangling their fingers as they reached the roads. Not that the unspoken thing between them wasn’t noticeable before but now it was clear something was going on.   
First off, both of them were beet red. Second, the back of their hands were pressed together as they walked, both desperate for the other’s touch.   
If Naruto wasn’t obsessed with Sasuke before, he definitely was now.   
Sasuke was having the exact same problem. He was not sure what this feeling meant, but something deep down was telling him it was, well, uh. Sasuke shook his head, clearing the pestering word from his thoughts.   
It was about mid-afternoon now and Naruto and Sasuke had spent the day lounging about in the woods, and Sakura had spent the day searching for them.   
She dropped down from a nearby tree next to Naruto and Sasuke. They were laying on the forest floor, Sasuke’s head resting on Naruto’s stomach.   
“Hey, Sakura, what brings you here?”   
“Are you two dating?”   
“Dating? No,” Sasuke answered without hesitation.   
“Then why did you kiss?”   
Sasuke choked on his own spit and sat up sputtering.   
“It was...a friend kiss?”   
“Really? Friend kisses are on the cheek or forehead not on the mouth,” she shook her hands.   
“Look Sakura we don’t have an answer for you,” Naruto shrugged, “because we ourselves, do not know.”   
“You don’t know?”   
“There’s maybe an IQ of, like, 12 between the both of us of course we don’t know.”   
She sat down and stared at them, “Do you think about each other a lot?”   
“Yeah, all the time,” they answered in unison.   
“Naruto, if Sasuke were to turn to you and say nothing what would you assume he wants?”   
“Depends, it’s usually in his eyes on what he wants.”   
Sakura nodded slowly then turned to Sasuke, “What number is he thinking of right now?”   
Sasuke turned and looked Naruto in the eyes, “13.”   
Naruto nodded and Sakura stared at the both of them.   
“You guys are so fucking dense,” she stood up, “ I cannot believe all this fighting and arguing was over this, I cannot believe it took a whole year of spending time with eachother to realize, well, not even realize because your so dense!”   
She was pacing back and forth, rambling. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and she whirled back around to face them.   
“You're in love with each other!”  
“We’re what?”  
“Come on think about it, it makes sense, you fought for so long because you couldn’t figure it out! Frustration toward each other! And now it’s all coming together!”   
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged another glance, then Naruto raised his eyebrows slightly and Sasuke tilted his head side to side.   
“I know you did not just confirm it like that,” she glared at them.   
“Yeah.”  
She sighed, “You guys are really something special huh.”   
They all three laughed and Sakura walked off to hang out with Ino.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N final chapter cool cool hope y'all have a nice day thanks for reading! 

Everyone was hanging out at the BBQ pork place, chatting when a very ruffled looking Sasuke walked in.   
“Naruto not with you?”   
“Yeah what happened to you? You looked like you’ve been dragged backwards through a bush!”   
“Naruto’s catching up he had to change his shirt, and for your information I was pushed into a bush.”  
“Did you and Naruto fight?”   
“Yeah.”   
Sakura looked worriedly up at him, had she caused this fight with talk from earlier?   
“It wasn’t serious, it's the only way we know how to talk to each other.”  
Sakura nodded and made room for the both of them, knowing they’d want to sit next to each other.   
“So, what were you trying to talk about then? I mean you look pretty ruffed up so it had to be serious?”  
Sasuke shifted his gaze nervously, “It was nothing, not important.”   
She couldn’t question anymore seeing as Naruto had walked in and was looking even worse than Sasuke. He had a cut on his face and hit hair was matted in places and he had twigs stuck in it, he had been really roughed up.   
“Wow, y’all really had some shit to work out huh,” Choji laughed reaching for some pork.   
Naruto laughed and sat down next to Sasuke. A small, knowing, glance passed between them before they both started chatting with the people across from them.   
“Is Shikamaru not here?”   
“No, I’m not sure where he is actually,” Ino looked around.   
“Probably smooching Temari,” Kiba made fake kissing sounds and fluttered his eyelashes.   
“Wait, what? Temari is here? With Shikamaru?”  
“Oh yeah, I mean considering they’ve been exchanging letters for a while now, probably planned to hang out,” Shino said bluntly.   
“How do you know that?”   
“Shikamaru made me send some bugs with letters for her.”   
“Ha! I knew he was the romantic type!”   
“Sounds like your friends are bullying you Shika,” Temari chuckled. She was standing at the side of the table with Shikamaru standing next to her.   
“Shika, huh?” Ino raised her eyebrows.   
“You’re all so troublesome,” he grumbled, taking a seat. Temari sitting next to him.   
“I’m surprised you guys aren’t ragging on Naruto and Sasuke endlessly,” Temari laughed, grabbing some pork.   
Everyone turned to Sasuke and Naruto and they both gulped, staring down at the table.   
“What happened with Naruto and Sasuke?”   
“Nothing,” Sasuke broke his silence, “nothing happened.”   
He glared at Temari. She smirked back.   
“No, something definitely happened, this is the quietest Naruto has been, like, ever,” Kiba grinned at the two.   
“Yeah come on, Sasuke’s doing all the talking! That never happens!”   
“Seriously guys if they said it was nothing, it’s nothing,” Sakura calmed the group, who were now pestering the two of them.   
“Now let’s e-” she froze. Something shiny caught her eye as Sasuke reached for some of the barbeque. A ring? Did these doofuses get engaged the day they found out they’re in love?   
“No fucking way.”   
Sasuke snatched his hand away, realizing his mistake as Sakura clenched her fist. She sent a punch into Sasuke’s side, knocking him into Naruto.   
“You fucking idiots!”   
“Sakura wait, let me-”   
“You found out literally hours ago and now this!”   
She grabbed both of them by the collar and lifted them up.   
“If you fucking tell me you did it by fighting I’m going to kill you.”   
They both glanced nervously at each other and she glared, before embracing them both.   
“I get to be the maid of honor!” She squealed, shaking them both.   
“What’s happening?”   
“Yeah, man, I’m pretty lost,” Kiba scratched his head.   
Sakura aggressively turned them towards the group, and glared.   
Sasuke and Naruto looked down in shame and held out their hands.   
There was silence as everyone tried to figure out what the gesture meant, before noticing…  
“You’re engaged?!”   
They were both bright red now and turned away from each other.   
“Oh my god, oh my god, what, what, Naruto and Sasuke are engaged?”   
Everyone was standing now, palms on the table, barraging the two boys with questions.   
“Wait, so you’re saying you go engaged, by fighting?”   
Sasuke buried his face in his palms and Naruto laughed nervously.   
“The kicker is they’ve only known that they’re in love for, like, 3 hours! And I had to tell them it was love!”   
“Sakura, spare us the embarrassment please, everyone knows we’re dumb they don’t need to know we’re that dumb,” Naruto whined.   
“Holy fuck, this is why you fought so much isn’t it!”  
“Sexual tension!”   
“Kiba!” Hinata smacked him. He laughed and took another bite of food.  
“Guys! I think you killed my fiance, calm down,” Naruto laughed giving Sasuke, who was now slumped on the table with his face buried under his arms, an endearing look.   
“Wait so how long have you been, you know, close?”  
“Er, uh, ha ha…” Naruto scratched the back of his head.   
“Before you two stopped in Suna that’s for sure,” Temari cut in.   
“Wait, what does that me-” Naruto was cut off again.   
“These two totally had a tickle fight in a sand dune! And when we went to make sure they were in their hotel room they we’re totally cuddlin-”   
“Temari!”   
Naruto was bright red and Sasuke had to be dead at this point.   
“Ah, so that’s why Sasuke was sneaking into your apartment the other night,” Shikamaru nodded.   
Everyone had their fair share of teasing the embarrassed pair, and they all went their separate ways.   
Well, everyone except Naruto and Sasuke, there’s no separating them now.


End file.
